Note: You can probably sneak some spinach, carrot or beets in there too to amp up the nutritional value.

Instructions:

1. Pour the beans and the salsa into your food processor, and blend until smooth.
2. Add in the onions, cumin, 1 cup of the bread crumbs, pepper, and blend.
3. Pour the mixture into a bowl.
4. Get (just a little) messy, and use your hands to make 8 nice-sized patties. As you form them, gently press both sides of the burgers in the remaining bread crumbs, and place them on a pan or baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
5. Let them set in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes while you prepare other parts of your meal (or clean up or make the kids’ lunches!).
6. Bake in preheated oven at around 350ºF for around 20-25 minutes (I’m not really sure about the timing — I just waited ’til they browned a little bit), turning once.

Stick them in a fresh, lightly-toasted, whole-grain bun or bagel, and top ‘em up (Daiya, Vegenaise, veggies, Dijon, the works!).

Oh! And they freeze really well, too…! Just stick one in the toaster, flipping once, and it’s ready to munch.

As many Torontonians in my area know, one of the best pea soups in the city can be found at United Bakers — a Kosher-style restaurant in Lawrence Plaza. It’s not my favourite place to go because it’s not exactly chic…, not at all chic, and because I usually see half the people I knew in high school when I go there — and I like to relax when I dine. I used to take out their pea soup and their Greek salad ALL the time. But, now that I’m vegetarian, I can’t eat these dishes. The pea soup has butter in it, and, of course, the Greek salad has cheese in it. Until now, I haven’t met a pea soup as great as theirs, though. Until now….

Meet the best low-to-no-fat pea soup on the planet — right here in Cheaty’s kitchen, and soon in yours if you take my word for it. This soup tastes EXACTLY like United Bakers, without the BUTTER, and without any added fat. The secret, I think, is in the carrots and sweet potatoes….

3. Scoop as much of the soup as you like into a blender and puree until smooth. I like my pureed soups a LITTLE crunchy and colourful, so I puree about 3/4 of it. If you want a perfectly smooth soup, you can use a hand blender, of course, or transfer the whole thing to a blender or food processor.

4. Return the soup to the pot, stir in the pepper (and teeny bit of salt to taste — only if you feel it’s necessary).

Storing: I’ve kept this soup in my fridge for up to a week. I ladle up only what I need each time because it’s not good to keep reheating it.

This soup is so hearty it’s a meal in itself. Enjoy! And let me know how you like it!

My Rascal has been a terror for the past week. Dinner times have been fraught with screaming, since he won’t eat unless he’s sitting on my lap. Eventually, I give in and hold him. He eats a few bites and he’s done. Until I bring out the organic blueberries.

I didn’t know what to make for dinner tonight. I was so distraught by all Rascal’s screaming that I could hardly eat. I’m also so run down from doing so much myself. The last thing I wanted to do was cook up a non-vegetarian meal for my non-vegetarian family. That’s hard enough for me (vegan) to do on a GOOD day. So, I took out the lentils.

I had an organic bag of dried lentils in the pantry. I poured a cup of them in a pot, along with 3 cups of water, and I brought them to a boil. I let them simmer for 45 minutes — of which I kept track by watching three episodes of The Backyardigans with The Monkey, while Rascal napped.